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Coe embraces derby hype

Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Nathan Coe is eagerly awaiting his first taste of city rivalry when his club meets Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Nathan Coe is eagerly awaiting his first taste of city rivalry when his club meets Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

Since Heart defeated Victory 2-1 in Round 1, Coe's side have responded well to sit in third place on the Hyundai A-League table, nine points behind leaders Central Coast.

Coe, 28, joined Victory in October, missing that Round 1 defeat, and the Queenslander said he is keen to experience the big-game atmosphere first hand.

"I think everyone's looking forward to it, everyone's been talking about it. It's a pretty important time for both teams," Coe said after training at Gosch's Paddock on Thursday.

"We're looking to win and close the gap on the top two."

Despite their reputation as Melbourne's 'big club', Victory have defeated Heart just once from seven meetings and Coe said his team-mates are determined to improve that record.

"Anytime you lose a derby it's not a fun thing," he said.

"So this weekend's a chance to change that and go forward and set it right.

"The one's in the past are in the past. What we can do is go out this weekend and move in the right direction and show who is the bigger club.

"Everyone's been talking about it and telling me about it so I can't wait to get out there. AAMI Park's a fantastic atmosphere and so a derby's going to even better."

Coe did say, however, that the derby atmosphere would not get in the way of coach Ange Postecoglou's preparation for the match.

When asked if Victory's poor record against the Heart had been a focus at training this week, Coe replied: "No, not at all. We've been concentrating on ourselves and winning each game, winning each week and pushing forward and playing the football that we want to play."